SONG OF THE SEA RECEIVES 5TH AND FINAL COMMON SENSE SEAL OF 2014

Song of the SeaReceives 5th and Final Common Sense Seal of 2014

Honor recognizes movies with the potential to make a meaningful difference in kids' lives.

San Francisco, Calif. – Common Sense, the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, today announced Song of the Sea as the newest movie to be awarded the Common Sense Seal and its final recipient of 2014. An independent film, Song of the Sea is a beautifully hand-drawn animation exploring myths, legends, and the power of sibling relationships. The Common Sense Seal launched in October 2014 as the first honor of its kind to recognize the absolute best in family movies as they make their theatrical debuts. The movies that receive this recognition meet Common Sense's highest standard based on overall quality in addition to enriching story lines, positive messages, and positive role models and are entertaining for all ages.

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Tomm Moore (Secret of Kells) and distributed by GKids, Song of the Sea is a gorgeously rendered Irish tale with many positive messages about the power of sibling cooperation, the legacies parents leave behind for their children, finding your voice, and protecting the people you love. The film offers beautiful storytelling with traditional music and strong characters that will engage and delight kids and parents. The evocative, subdued palette and hand-drawn animation make the film unique and visually compelling. It will premiere in select theaters in New York on December 19, 2014, and will roll out to additional markets in January 2015.

"We established the Common Sense Seal to champion movies like Song of the Sea so studios will make more films with messages we want our kids to absorb and characters we want them to emulate," said Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense. "By recognizing films that include themes of family, expressing yourself, and using your talents for good, we expect to catalyze Hollywood to create more family films with broad box-office appeal."

Previous Common Sense Seal recipients include:

· The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, a retelling of a 10th-century Japanese fable with strong messages about what children need to thrive and how striving for social status will ultimately leave you dissatisfied;

· Big Hero 6, an action-packed animated adaptation of the same-titled superhero comic that focuses on the power of brotherhood, friendship, and using your gifts to help others;

· The Book of Life, a visually stunning, Dia de los Muertos-themed film with positive messages about doing what's right, the importance of family, and celebrating the past while looking to the future; and

The Common Sense Seal considers all wide-release theatrical movies targeted at children, tweens, teens, and families. The selections are determined by Common Sense Media's in-house team of movie reviewers, editors, and child-development experts based on the proven rubric deployed across more than 6,000 movie titles since Common Sense's founding in 2003. The Seal is given to a select number of theatrical releases each year and announced in advance of each movie's premiere.